Globe and Mail: Canada subtly signalling change of policy toward China

[tuvor]

OTTAWA -- The government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has begun using what experts are calling "subtle but meaningful" shifts in diplomatic language in an effort to improve relations with China - changes that have drawn approval from Beijing.

Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier delivered a speech to Asian ambassadors behind closed doors in Ottawa last Wednesday, where he asserted, in unusually unqualified terms, Canada's support for a "one-China policy."

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Mr. Bernier's statements were well-received in Beijing, where the Chinese Foreign Ministry's official spokesman, Qin Gang, went out of his way to applaud Wednesday's speech.

The government news agency Xinhua reported that Mr. Qin said: "China applauds saying that the Canadian government values relations with China, adheres to the one-China policy, regards the People's Republic of China government as the sole legal government of China, and opposes Taiwan authorities' proposed 'referendum on UN membership.' ''

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The Conservatives had previously allied themselves with supporters of Taiwan's positions and Tibetan autonomy - and Mr. Harper said in 2006 that he would pointedly press human-rights concerns with Beijing and not sell out to the "almighty dollar."

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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080318.CHINA18/TPStory/National